Integrating arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi in Mediterranean Climate-Smart Viticulture: Progress, bottlenecks, and future directions

Abstract

Climate change is increasingly threatening global viticulture through rising temperatures, changing rainfall patterns, and extreme weather events, affecting grapevine physiology, yield, composition and vineyard health and, ultimately, leading to changes in wine composition and typicity. Particular attention is being paid to arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF), soil microorganisms that form symbiotic associations with grapevine roots. They are able to improve water and nutrient uptake and plant tolerance to environmental stressors. This review summarizes the current knowledge on the impact of climate change on grapevine performance, focusing on Mediterranean viticulture, as well as the range of potential short- and long-term adaptation strategies to reduce its effects. Among them, this review explores integrating AMF into climate-smart viticulture and describes their potential to enhance grapevine resilience to environmental stresses. The review discusses how climate change may influence native mycorrhizal communities in vineyard soils and when commercial AMF inoculants may be necessary to apply. Additionally, it addresses the opportunities and limitations associated with their use. Overall, the available evidence suggests that AMF are a promising component of sustainable vineyard management and may improve vineyard resilience under future climate scenarios. However, more research is needed to optimize their application and understand their long-term effects on different viticultural systems.